For Now, Corrective Lenses Are Best `Cure` For Nearsightedness

Q-I`ve just bought another costly pair of eyeglasses. Why don`t doctors do something for people who are nearsighted instead of just selling them glasses?

A-For years, that`s all we`ve known how to do to treat the symptoms of nearsightedness (myopia). We haven`t been able to prevent or cure the problem itself.

Nearsightedness usually begins with puberty and stabilizes in late adolescence. As the eye grows from infancy through late adolescence, the focal length of the eyeball and the shape of the lens may stay precisely balanced to maintain good vision. Fifteen to 20 percent of high school students become nearsighted by late adolescence because the lens and eyeball become unsynchronized in their growth.

There is debate as to whether environmental or genetic factors cause myopia. In 1813, it was noted that educated people who were applying for positions as officers training in the British army had a much higher incidence of nearsightedness than the farmers and fishermen who were serving as enlisted men. This seemed to indicate that people who had spent a good deal of their early years reading were prone to nearsightedness.

Until we understand it, nothing can be done to prevent myopia. Your only options are to correct your myopia with glasses or contact lenses, or a recently developed operation called radial keratotomy, which flattens the cornea and can correct some nearsightedness.

FYI: It is the middle of the summer season, and some of you have developed ``swimmer`s ear,`` the infection of the outer ear canal that occurs when trapped water has injured the skin.

There are ways to prevent this, and they are described in a free brochure offered by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. You can get a copy by sending a stamped self-addressed envelope to ``Swimmer`s Ear,`` American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 1101 Vermont Ave. N W, No. 302, Washington, D.C. 20005.